Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan, partners in $1 billion in deals at C&W last year, shocked the commercial real estate industry by joining Tighe at CBRE as executive vice-presidents and partners in the New York tri-state region.

Since Tighe’s July 4th weekend bombshell move from Insignia/ESG to head up CBRE’s New York operation, she has moved swiftly to shore up CBRE for battle against ESG, Cushman & Wakefield, and Newmark – the big three in New York. Despite its stature as the world’s largest real estate company, CBRE has long been an also-ran here.

Stacom and Shanahan are both 20-year C&W veterans. They were responsible for the brokering or advisory roles on the sale of more than $10 billion in commercial real estate in New York, and the restructuring of over $2 billion in mortgage and ownership positions.

Last year alone, Stacom and Shanahan handled the sales of 1285 Sixth Ave., 830 Third Ave., and 417 Fifth, among other trophies.

Tighe, until a few weeks ago one of Insignia/ESG’s superstar vice-chairmen, did not return calls. Cushman & Wakefield USA president Bruce Mosler said, “Mary Ann is super-talented and I wish Darcy very well there. We will go on.”

Stacom joins Tighe and her COO, former Port Authority honcha Cherrie Nanninga, as the most powerful women’s troika to head a New York real estate office.

“I might have to get a sex-change operation to stay here,” quipped one jittery CBRE broker yesterday. Tighe has already signed on Patrick Murphy from Insignia/ESG to head New Jersey, Jeffrey Hipschman from Julien J. Studley to handle technology and brokerage, and Craig Reicher from her old team at Insignia.

But none of them had anything like Stacom’s high profile. “Darcy Stacom is one of the two or three best investment sales brokers in New York and it’s obviously a win for MaryAnn,” said James D. Kuhn, chairman of rival Newmark & Co.

Stacom’s whole career has been at Cushman & Wakefield, where she started in the mailroom at age 15. Now a 21-year veteran, Stacom was an executive vice president and the only woman on its board of directors.

Her sister, executive VP Tara Stacom, is herself a star on the CW’s leasing side. Their father, Matthew Stacom, is a vice chairman emeritus.

Her late mother, Claire, was a broker until she died in an auto accident returning from a property showing. Her husband Chris Kraus, her sister, Stacy, and Stacy’s husband, Eric Ossorio, also once worked for C&W.

Stacom received Cushman & Wakefield’s Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award and was ranked the leading producer globally for the firm’s financial services group two out of the last three years.